


Flight

by Macalaure



Category: Final Fantasy VI
Genre: Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-31
Updated: 2013-01-31
Packaged: 2017-11-27 15:42:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/663703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Macalaure/pseuds/Macalaure
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward" - Leonardo da Vinci<br/>An examination of the perspectives of captivity seen through the lens of Terra and Celes [pre-canon] WARNING: contains a non-happy ending, also contains birds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flight

**Author's Note:**

> This is a rewrite and second draft of a story on fanfiction originally called The Fall From Grace. It was an examination of the perspectives of captivity, but someone along the way, the flight theme developed and I got the interesting idea of naming chapters after birds from another story on the site. So anyway, here is the marriage between those two themes. It's a chronicle of the events before Final Fantasy VI as I see them that lead to the circumstances of the story. 
> 
> The writing style is kind of all over the place and the different chapters are written in a number of different styles. Some are straightforward narratives from the third person. Others are fragmented or first person stream of consciousness. A few are just dialog, partly for effect and partly because I was lazy and didn't want to finish writing this. 
> 
> Sorry if it's hard to follow, and I wouldn't be wholly surprised.

**F L I G H T**

\- Macalaure -

SEVEN YEAR-OLD TERRA BRANFORD wishes she could remember how to fly. In her dreams she would lift one leg, and then the other, and float off the ground and into the waiting arms of the sky. In her dreams she could feel its embrace, its breath on her cheek like a lover, warm and exhilarating. In her dreams she remembers, with a clarity and precision like nothing else she had known in her young life, the glory of flight. But when she tries now, even as she jumps and pines in wild anticipation, her feet stay planted in the stone, and her heart anchored to the ground.

She lays instead, spread-eagle, across the cold stone of the roof of the palace at Vector. High above, the sky opens up in vibrant pinks and purples as the orange sun sags lower and lower in the sky. She beholds an eclipse of its light, shapeless black blotches that obscure its brilliant rays as they flit to and fro across the radiant plane. She reaches for them, hands outstretched, beckoning for them to swoop down and fly her away, but they remain isolated, part of a different world.

Long ago, when she was only a child, Cid told her their names. And she whispers them now to herself as they soar by in her mind's eye. Tiny things they are, perhaps that was why they are able to fly. Perhaps when she was much smaller she could fly also, but now that she is bigger, her body has forgotten, and all that remembers are her dreams...

**Little Bronze Cuckoo**

The room was dim, illuminated only by the light of three solitary candles. Terra was too young to understand why the lights weren't working and the electric heater wasn't radiating heat from its bowels, so she sat patiently on the bed and waited for Cid to return, trying and failing to subdue her own fidgeting. Finally, the door swung open, but when Cid appeared, he was escorting a young blonde girl. She entered the doorway cautiously and peeked around inside. Spotting Terra, she made her way over to her in long, elegant strides.

Cid followed behind her, bemused, and took his place at her back. He gestured to the girl with a weathered hand and told the girl, "Terra, I want to introduce you to Celes. Guess what, she can use magic like you."

The girl was tall, taller than Terra, with lucid blue eyes and her blonde hair pulled back in a braid. She looked older and more dignified. Terra stood on her tip toes in a vain attempt to reach a similar height, but quickly gave up. Eventually, she boldly stuck out a hand and looked up at the other girl. "Hi, I'm Terra," she announced.

The older girl adopted a knowing look. "I know," she replied matter-of-factly, "Cid just introduced us."

Terra's eyes dropped and she felt her cheeks grow hot. But as is the case with all children, she couldn't remain attached to one emotion for long, and curiosity came to the forefront. "So can you really use magic?" she asked, the emotion unadulterated on her face.

The older girl grinned, revealing white teeth that gleamed in the dim light. "Watch," she instructed. Her eyes glazed over and her blonde hair streamed out behind her. Suddenly, the flames of the candles flickered, spat, and then flared, casting strange shadows on the walls the floor.

Terra gasped, turning to face the now roaring flames. Cautiously, she prodded one with her finger, and the flame jumped from the wick to her bare skin, sliding around her hand until she extinguished it in her closed fist. She turned back to Celes, eyes shining. "That was amazing," she gushed.

The older girl dropped her gaze and wrung her hands together. "Thanks," she mumbled, "I taught myself. I could teach you," she added, as an afterthought.

A smile spread across Terra's face as she nodded quickly and vigorously. Celes extended her hand to the younger girl and they stepped lightly from the room and out into the hall. Cid followed them, leaning against the doorframe as he watched the two girls skip down the hall. He shut the door behind him, and followed them slowly, chuckling to himself.

Behind the closed door, the flames sputtered and choked; the room dimmed as the light burned itself out. Finally, without a sound, the flames winked out of existence, and the room surrendered itself to darkness.

**Blue Jay**

"Celes?"

"Yes, Terra?"

"How do you braid your hair?"

"Well you need three stands, and then you kind of weave them together. The outside one goes on top, and then - here let me show you."

"Like this?"

"Well..."

"This is too hard. Can you just do mine for me? It's always pretty when you do it."

"Oh all right, I suppose so."

"Celes?"

"Mhmm?"

"Have you ever been outside?"

"Of course, silly. We were outside in the garden just last week, remember?"

"But…that's not what I meant,"

"Well, what did you mean?"

"I meant have you ever been outside, outside. Like outside the castle? I asked Cid where people got enough wood to build the great big table in the dining hall and he said there were trees hundreds of feet tall and five men holding hands couldn't wrap around their trunks. The ones in the garden aren't very big or very tall. Have you ever seen a hundred-foot-tall tree?"

"What are you going on about? There's no such trees that tall."

"Oh, well have you ever been outside, outside?"

"Of course I haven't been outside the castle. You know that's not allowed."

"I know, I was just wondering."

**Zebra Dove**

As the anthem rang forth once more, Terra began to think that sometimes it was a bother sharing a room with her friend. "No, Terra, I'm not going to do it and neither are you."

They were sitting in the bedroom again and outside the window, afternoon was turning into evening. The shadows were lengthening and casting strange shapes on the walls and floor as the big orange sun sagged lower in the sky. The two girls sat on the beds, and Terra's face bore a pout. "Come on," she whined to her friend. "Can't you see how pretty it is?" she asked, gesturing outside.

Celes offered barely a glance outside the window before returning to the book she was reading. "Yes, that's the point. Why can't you watch it from in here?" the older girl shot back.

Terra rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Look at the window," she pointed out. "It's like half a meter by half a meter. You can't even anything unless you hang from the ceiling like th-"

The resounding crash shook the room and caused Celes to drop the book she had been holding. She lowered her gaze to the girl in a heap on the floor at the foot of the window, pointing upwards at the sky painted brilliant orange. "Look, Terra, you are not sneaking outside to watch the sunset. It's past curfew and we're supposed to stay inside."

The emerald haired girl pouted. "Come on Celes, we don't even have to go all the way outside. We can just go out into the garden." The castle in Vector formed a U-shape around the garden at the center, in the middle of the three walls. Terra had noticed one evening that the only side that wasn't covered by towering stone was the direction that the sun set in. She couldn't help wondering if it had been built that way on purpose.

Celes shook her head and laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Even that's not allowed. You've heard what everyone says, we're not supposed to be out after dark."

Terra frowned inwardly as she realized she wasn't going to win this with argument, and she slumped her shoulders in a facade of defeat. "Okay, you win," she sighed and stood up. Then, in one quick motion, she pivoted and sprinted for the door, grabbing Celes' book on the way out for good measure. Before the older girl could register what was occurring, the door was swinging freely on its hinges and Terra's emerald hair was fanning out behind her as she ran down the hallway.

"Terra, oh no you…ARGH!" Celes let out an uncharacteristic yell of frustration and paced around the room several times. Then setting her shoulders, she sprinted out the door after Terra, pausing only to grab a basket on the way out. She navigated the hallways with ease and ended promptly in the garden. The effects of the setting sun were magnified in this strange setting as the shadows of the trees played over each other, layering the ground with levels of increasing darkness. Strange patterns shifted and churned with the wind swaying in the branches.

In the center of the garden sat Terra. Upon hearing footsteps behind her she turned and smiled at Celes, patting the ground beside her. "I knew you would come," she said, a knowing smile crossing her face.

Annoyed, yet still graceful, Celes made her way over to the girl in long strides and smacked her on the back of the head. Terra looked up, scratching her head and said, "I guess I deserved that one." She handed the older girl her book, and Celes sat down gracefully beside her.

There was a long silence as the sun made its way across the sky and the lip dipped below the mountains on the horizon; Terra gazed, eyes fixated on the setting sun, and Celes kept her nose in her book. The sky was painted in brilliant pinks and purples that formed the backdrop for the brilliant orange orb. Birds chipped and the wind rustled through the leaves of the trees, whistling an eery tune. Presently, Terra turned to her friend and asked, "Isn't it pretty? Admit it, it was worth it." Celes looked up grudgingly. She had to admit it was pretty, but she wasn't ready to sympathize with the girl yet. "I'm just here to do the talking if we get caught," she nudged the basket with her elbow. "If anyone asks, we're collecting pieces of glass for Cid to melt down and use in his new machine."

Terra nodded and turned back to the horizon, noting the older girl's line of sight passing over the top of the pages and out at the horizon; she hid a smile. The two girls sat side by side as the sun dipped below the mountains and darkness descended on the landscape.

**Magpie**

Terra sleeps...

...I wake, yet I still sleep.

I wake, and can feel the cold, hard ground beneath me.  _Is this body my own?_

Blonde hair is fanned out about my head and I am clad in a thin red dress I do not recognize.

The cold ground beneath beneath me thuds with the vibrations of heavy footsteps.

_Right…left…right…left…_

I sense his presence before I see him. Some kind of feral beast that approaches with horns barred and teeth gnashing. I look up.

Gray eyes stare back, piercing my soul. Something stirs within me -  _father_  - and a shiver runs through my core.

He bends down, scooping me into his arms.  _I am a child_. I fall limp in his arms, and my eyes close as my head lolls against his shoulder...

...I wake, again, in a solitary room. I can hear a creak, as the door swings open and the massive figure emerges.

He is tall, but gentle. A warm hand caresses my face as he sits in the chair beside me.

And yet, I recoil at the touch, at the foreignness, at the intrusion. My eyes are raised against my will and bare his piercing gaze. I want to wake, and end this nightmare.

The hand draws back and the figure at the bedside departs, the door swinging slowly shut behind him...

...I flee, the rocky terrain beneath my feet tears at the souls, bare to the rough and cutting ground.

The gate stands before me in glorious majesty, sheer stone walls and swirling currents of energy; eddies of magic that curl and wind around my legs and arms.

They embrace me. _Sister, mother, daughter, lover_.

The walls open up, inviting me forward, but I turn back.

He is there, and there is no defense against the piercing gaze. It burns, and stepping forward is the hardest thing I have ever done.

I take a step...

...and fall to the ground. I cannot move, I cannot breathe, mind betrayed to the mysterious energy that dwells in the tunnel.

I feel his strong arms and I am no longer afraid -  _I am afraid_ \- they encircle me, offering comfort, strength -  _fear_  - and protection.

I melt.

The sky pulses and presses down from all sides. The room burns with hungry tongues. I walk in a field of shards of broken glass...

...I wake.

**Yellow Canary**

"It's beautiful out there."

"Yeah, it is."

"How hard do you think it would be?"

"When are you going to learn to ask a question clearly?"

"I mean living out there, like out in the wild. You know, camping, fishing, hunting. It can't be hard, and I suppose magic would help."

"Don't do that, you know you're not supposed to use magic except during our lessons."

"Sorry. Well, what do you think?"

"Why do you ask so many ridiculous questions."

"Don't you ever wonder?"

"Of course not. I have a bed, and roof, and three meals a day right here. Why should I worry about having to live in the wild?"

"Don't you ever get tired of this place?"

"What's there to get tired of?"

"Everything around us. It's a world of panels and gray scales. Imagine the whole world out there just like this garden only a hundred times bigger. We could come and go as we pleased, eat whenever we wanted, and not have to tell Cid every damn time we want to go get a breath of fresh air! We're living in a cage, and don't tell me you don't see it."

"Well, say something."

"Look, Terra. Maybe we are living in a cage, but who's to say what's out there is better. The grass is always greener, right? And maybe you're right this industrial landscape is nothing to live for, but do you know what I see when I look out my window every night? Dirt, brown grass, and a dying world. Whatever is wrong with the world in here, I can assure you out there, it's much worse."

"That's really what you see? What about the animals and plants and trees and clouds. Everything is vibrant and beautiful compared to the monotone in here. I am sincerely sorry if that's all you see when you look outside."

**Peacock**

Celes wakes to the darkness that surrounds the room. It is suffocating and all-encompassing, and yet, not absolute. In the dim light, she can see the empty bed beside her, covers pushed back in haste, pillow lying abandoned on the floor. She sits up, calling uncertainly, "Terra." Darkness and echoes answer back.

She rises quickly, donning a robe and stepping softly to the door which she now notices is slightly ajar. It is hence that the dim light that illuminates the room comes. Eyes covering the empty room one last time, she turns and slips into the night.

Emerging in the hall, she steps lightly along the pass, heart thudding inexplicably with each noise that sounds in the near darkness. She reaches the staircase and ascends, cringing as the penultimate step creaks with a noise divine. She approaches the top, and suddenly she is flooded with light.

The stars above light the scene before her, illuminating the figure standing at the prow formed at the corner of the building. Arms extended and chest out, she stands proud, embracing the night sky as an old friend. Her hair is down and the wind blows it up in curtains behind her upturned chin. It fans out at her back in a web of emerald. She is regal, she is immaculate, she is magnificent; the stars in the sky pay homage to her beauty as they shine down their sacred light. If Celes squints, pushing the edge of the roof outside her field of vision, she can imagine the figure before her in glorious flight, soaring above the stone walls of the castle and out into the lands beyond…

**Ostrich**

…for the fleetest of moments, Celes feels the urge to call out, but something holds her back. She senses an innate, sparkling beauty about the scene that her presence threatens to destroy. So she observes like this in silence. But the longer she watches the greater and more uncomfortable the sense of intrusion grew. She feels completely and utterly alienated by Terra's intrinsic link to the scene; she is a part of it and Celes is not.

She shivers suddenly as the prevailing winds wash over her, unrelenting in their effort to overpower. Their touch is not comforting to Celes, but frigid and biting.

Solemnly, she retreats down the staircase. Only once the stars and the night sky and the biting wind and the majestic figure perched atop her throne have disappeared and she is safe within her fortress of stone does Celes feel at ease. Cid had taken her on an airship once when she was a little girl. The skies had tore at her hair and skin with its icy fingers and been as painful as they were tonight.

Celes could not stand flight.

**Rooster**

The rain lashed against the foggy windows, darkening the landscape outside with clouds. Inside the electricity was out once again, and Terra sat at a table in the dining hall lit only by candlelight, shoveling food mechanically into her mouth. As she reached for another helping of stew, she felt someone sit down across from her. Raising her eyes, she sighed outwardly as she recognized the iconic blonde hair and blue eyes. Terra gestured at her bowl with a spoon and Celes nodded. "Sure I'll have one, thanks Terra."

Terra ladled a helping of steaming stew into a ceramic bowl and handed it to Celes across the table. The woman took it and the two ate in silence for a while. To anyone passing by, the tension in the room was obvious, its presence more noticeable than an elephant, but the space was empty save for them.

Finally, the silence was broken as Terra spoke. "Celes how come you never come to see me anymore? It seems like you're always off on some official business somewhere or other. I didn't know being an imperial general was such a big deal," she said, failing to keep a sarcastic edge out of her voice.

Celes sighed and decided to ignore her friend's moodiness. "I know Terra, I'm really sorry. I promise I'll work something out soon," she assured.

"How about tomorrow?"

A shadow crossed Celes' face and her gaze fell guiltily. "I can't tomorrow, I've got a meeting with the king of Figaro. The treaty is not on very stable legs and the emperor needs someone to go work things out."

"Figures," Terra said sarcastically. "And why can't Leo go?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask him?" Celes shot back defensively. Terra turned her eyes back to her food and Celes frowned. "Look," she told Terra, "That's just what the emperor told me. I'm just following orders."

Terra looked up once more and her eyes flashed dangerously. "And how is  _our_  emperor faring these days?" she asked all too calmly.

Celes adopted a puzzled look, "I assume he is well. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," Terra told her, trying and failing to keep a cold edge out of her voice that Celes didn't fail to notice.

"Terra, is something wrong?" she asked calmly.

"No, no, nothing's wrong. Of course nothing's wrong. Why would anything be wrong? I'm sure tomorrow's negotiations will go just as well as Maranda's."

Guilt turned to pain, and Terra knew she was on dangerous ground but she didn't care. "Please Terra, don-"

"Oh, please Terra, don't worry Terra, let's not talk about it Terra, why don't you go talk about it with the emperor then."

A hard light formed behind the general's eyes, a glare that dared her to continue, and for a moment Terra felt apprehensive. But she swallowed it down. "Fourteen dead, and now the city burns," she said, now a whisper. "And you continue to serve him."

So very rarely did Celes lose her composure. And when she did show emotion it was usually of the barest variety, happiness, displeasure, anger. She took two steps forward until she was directly in front of Terra. "And you," she jabbed a finger at the younger girl, "All high and mighty. Making judgements while you sit alone in your room all day. I am serving my state and my emperor in the way I know how, more than I can say for you."

Astonished, Terra looked up at her friend. In some ways, very little had changed since they were kids. Terra was still much shorter than Celes and now she stood on her toes once more as she opened her mouth. "You serve a corrupt state and a corrupt emperor," she spat. "You think this position as general gives you freedom, but it does nothing to lift the cage around you. In fact, it tightens it, and the only difference now is instead of just being a prisoner you're a puppet as well!"

Celes took another step forward and her extended finger now poked Terra in the chest. "The empire is not corrupt, you're just jealous I got the position instead of you. You witch."

"Take your hand off me," came the voice, low and cold. A fire burned behind Terra's eyes and Celes could feel the energy swirling just underneath the surface, but now it was directed at her. All around her, candles flared, blazing hungry flames high into the drafty space of the room. Their tongues crackled and burned, reaching hungrily for Celes. She backed away, and never taking her eyes from the emerald hair billowing around Terra's face, she circled the girl and retreated out the door. It swung shut as she left.

The light dimmed behind Terra's eyes, and she felt the magic and adrenaline leave her. She slowly came to her senses, only now noticing the empty room and the blazing fires that were dying with the energy that departed her. Spent, she fell to the floor shaking; a single tear fell down her cheek and onto the cold stone.

**Great Horned Owl**

"Get out of my way," Celes roars, shoving a sentry aside as she barreled down a hallway.

General Celes had been gone all day on a mission to Figaro and was tired and ready to sleep by the time she had returned to Vector. But as soon as the company had come within sight of the castle Celes had sensed something was wrong, and then they saw the smoke. The envoy raced towards the huge stone walls of the city. A company split off to go identify the source of the fire, and the rest escorted General Celes into the castle.

She had been met by Cid at the steps of the entrance who had pulled her into a rough embrace. "Thank god you're alright."

She nodded and then pulled back. "What happened here?"

Suddenly, the man grew grim. Hesitating, he told her, "Somebody...put fire to the soldier's barracks. The whole damn building went up in flames. Fifty of them killed in the blink of an eye."

"Who?"

The old man simply shook his head.

"Who was it?"

His eyes downcast, he muttered into the dark stone floors, "Kefka and Gestahl pushed her too far. They, they-"

"Cid, who burned the barracks."

He just looked on sadly, lost in the terror of the event.

So Celes sprints down the hallways and skids to a stop in front of Terra's room, kicking open the door. The room is empty. Turning in her tracks, she runs blindly until she encounters a servant. "Where's Terra?" she asks urgently, fear rising in her voice.

The servant frowns. "That green-haired witch who burned the barracks? She was taken to the dungeons," she says contemptuously.

She leaves the servant behind before she us done speaking, sprinting for the stairs...

**Lappet-faced Vulture**

…as Celes reaches the rickety tunnel that leads into the dungeon and descends the stairs she hears an odd cackle. "Why General Celes, what brings you down here?"

From the darkness, steps a flamboyant figure with a painted face, dressed in reds, yellows, and vibrant greens. He smiles an inhuman smile as he slowly approaches. "Kefka, tell me where Terra is," she says softly.

The clown's smile grows even bigger, if possible. "Why I'm afraid she's...occupied at the moment, but you can go and see her tomorrow, I assure you," he says, giving her a little bow…

**Mockingbird**

…it is so damn dark. Celes closes her eyes and summons the power inside of her. Channeling it through the stale air, the row of torches burn with a new light. The hall is lined with rows of cells. Most are empty, but the one nearest her is occupied by a small figure kneeling at the wall. Eyes catch a glimpse of tinged emerald and Celes' heart stops. "Terra!" she screams, and descends the stairs in a flight of agony.

The figure looks up and rises to a standing position. Her eyes are dim and lifeless and her emerald hair falls in burnt strands about her pale face. She wears a tattered dress that is torn to shreds and barely covers her body scarred with burns. Her blank gaze seems to pass straight through Celes's body.

The clown smiles and cackles again. "Well, isn't that tragic! She doesn't seem to recognize you."

Celes turns, fury and fear reflected in her eyes. "Kefka," she screams, hand leaping to the hilt at her hip. "What have you done to her? Tell me or I'll-"

Suddenly, his joking manner drops and the temperature in the room seems to plummet. "Or what, may I ask?" the clown asks, still smiling, eyes twinkling dangerously.

"Kefka! You killed her!"

"Nonsense," he says sensibly, "There she is, right in front of you." he gestures to the cell where the figure has returned to the floor.

Celes runs to her, and pushes a hand through the bars of the cage. She touches her hair for a moment before Terra recoils as if she had been burned. "You killed her spirit," she screams at the clown.

"The body can live without the spirit."

She screams again and leaps at him.

"Well there's no need to be rude," Kefka speaks pleasantly, batting her hand out of the way with surprising reflexes and grabbing her by the back of the neck. "There'll be plenty of time to have a nice reunion with your little pet tomorrow." And he starts up the stairway, leading her firmly, with an iron hand on her neck, back into the main castle. Celes struggles against him but it is for naught. The vice grip on her neck grows tight and her tendons draw taut. Just below the surface of his skin, she can sense hot energy boiling and churning. She ignores her observations however and lashes out, striking him in the stomach with her elbow. The back of her neck grows hot, and as it spreads to her head, her vision goes black.

She wakes in her room. The door is locked. She stands there for a moment before sinking to the floor slowly, and then General Celes begins to cry. She sheds tears for her imprisonment and for her blindness; for the stone walls and damp floors that now encase her dearest friend; for all that she lost and all that she will lose; and she cries out in agony for Terra's ability to see through the bars and out into a lush, green world, and her inability to do the same.

**Black Swan**

Celes returned to the dungeons the next day to find Terra gone. Cid told her that she had been assigned a mission to go to Narshe and retrieve an esper that had been uncovered in the mines.

"Terra? Cooperating with the empire?" she had asked him incredulously.

Cid had shook his head in sorrow. "I doubt she had much of a choice," he confessed. "She did kill fifty soldiers after all."

Celes had left after that, unable to hear anymore. She locked herself in her room for three days, leaving food that was pushed under the door untouched, watching as the plates piled up, rotted, and were set on by insects. She tried to cry, but she found she had no tears left. She spent the time looking out her tiny half meter by half meter window and trying to see things through Terra's eyes. But to her, the whole landscape, as far as she could see through, was barren and dry and dead.

When General Celes emerged from her room after the third day she was a different person. To those with relations before, she had been gentle and kind, but well reserved. Now she was ice cold. She received the news of Bicks, Wedge, and Terra's death without flinching. She returned to her post as general and completed missions with ruthless efficiency, not balking at inhumanity and torture to achieve her goals.

One day, as she left the throne room after being debriefed, Emperor Gestahl smiled to himself. He was quite impressed with what they had created. He would need to congratulate Kefka on how expertly the whole situation had been orchestrated.

**Spotted Hawk**

...As the seven year-old child looks skyward, a shadow passes over her prone form. Footsteps sound behind her and she turns her head from the captivating, majestic sight to see Cid standing at the top of the staircase. He walks to her and sits heavily beside her. "What's that one up there called?" the child asks, pointing a stubby finger at the great bird that circles above.

The old man takes a moment to study it, eyes glazed over, fingers tapping once, twice, on his chin. "A spotted hawk, sweetheart," he tells her smiling, but her gaze has already returned to the magnificent creature.

"Cid," the child asks, and the man is amazed at her tone of curiosity and innocence. "Did I ever know how to fly?"

The man shakes his head in bewilderment. "Terra, silly, you know people can't fly."

The child frowns and stares at the bird as it climbs high into the sky and disappears into the clouds and darkness. "But I feel as if I could all the same," she whispers wistfully, and Cid has no response.

"Come," he instructs, beckoning. "The sun sets, and you must sleep." He takes her by the hand and leads her off the roof and below, into the depths of her prison of stone. The orange sun completes its descent below the far off mountains and the last light of day disappears from the land. And yet, high above, the majestic hawk sounds its barbaric yawp, transcending the darkness and the high stone walls and sturdy iron doors. It swoops down from the heavens, gracing all below with its presence, and for the fleetest of moments, the small child looking back as she descended the stairs, felt free.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Some Bird Notes
> 
> 1\. Cuckoo has a habit called brood parasitism where it lays eggs in the nest of another bird who then proceeds to take care of the young as its own.
> 
> 2\. A magpie is one of the smartest birds in the world, and is the only bird able to pass the mirror test and thus is understood to have self-awareness. In other words, it can look in a mirror and recognize itself.
> 
> 3\. The albatross was known to be a good omen to ships unless it was killed. In The Rime of an Ancient Mariner, a sailor kills an albatross and is forced to wear it for the rest of their shortened journey to remind him of the doom he caused.
> 
> 4\. A lappet is a useless ornament worn as a garment during Victorian times, used primarily by the aristocracy to show off their wealth. The bird is so named for its seemingly useless flap hanging from the underside of its head.
> 
> 6\. The spotted hawk is the bird that flies by Whitman in his epic poem Song of Myself.
> 
> 7\. The rest you should be able to figure out yourself. I like bird symbolism a lot so check my profile for some other common ones.


End file.
